Friday

Jan 11, 2019 at 3:39 PMJan 11, 2019 at 3:39 PM

STORY OF THE WEEK

Dealt a bad hand: Kansas must continue its pursuit of a 15th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship without its biggest weapon — well, at least in a literal sense. The Jayhawks last Friday lost junior center Udoka Azubuike with what was later revealed to be a season-ending ligament tear in his right hand, the 7-footer injured during a practice ahead of the team’s 77-60 out-of-sorts defeat at Iowa State. The nation’s most accurate shooter last season with a 77-percent field goal percentage, Azubuike underwent successful surgery Wednesday in New York and is expected to make a full recovery. Whether his future includes a fourth collegiate campaign remains in question following his second season-ending setback. “We should not feel bad for us,” KU coach Bill Self said. “We should just feel bad for him.”

STOCK RISING

Kansas State: The Wildcats authored the biggest comeback victory in program history Wednesday, overcoming a 21-point deficit in the second half to stun West Virginia, 71-69. It was the team’s anemic offense (65.6 points per game, ranked 10th in the Big 12) that did the heavy lifting, scoring 50 second-half points. Barry Brown scored 20 of his game-high 29 points in the final frame. The Dean Wade-less squad also pushed Texas Tech in an eventual 63-57 road defeat last Saturday.

STOCK FALLING

West Virginia: If this isn’t rock bottom for the Mountaineers, it has to be close. According to ESPN, they had a 98.3-percent win probability while up 42-21 with 17:53 left in the eventual two-point defeat at Kansas State. "This is one-hundred percent my fault. These are my guys. I recruited them," said coach Bob Huggins, whose team fell to 0-3 in Big 12 play for the first time ever. "… I should be smart enough to know what I got, and to continue to trust people that don't deserve trust, that's one me."

It took only one week of Big 12 play for nine of the league’s squads to suffer a defeat, but the No. 8-ranked Red Raiders are the lone exception. The Longhorns would be right there, too, if not for a 61-58 setback versus Oklahoma State on Tuesday night in Stillwater. Texas will have history on its side, though — Texas Tech hasn’t won in Austin since the 1995-96 campaign, a stretch of 22 straight defeats by an average margin of 14.5 points. The Longhorns earned a 67-58 win in the most recent clash, an outcome fueled by a 20-point outburst off the bench by then-junior Kerwin Roach. Is this the year the Red Raiders — ranked first nationally in both team defensive efficiency (0.76) and opponent shooting percentage (33.3 percent) — finally break the streak?

Shooting percentage for TCU center Kevin Samuel, who finished 6-for-7 for 12 points in the Horned Frogs’ 68-77 defeat at Kansas. That shooting clip stands first in the Big 12 and is the fifth-best total nationally, though Samuel averages just 5.1 attempts per game — the 6-11 freshman attempted one shot in the final 19 minutes Wednesday.

RANKING THE LEAGUE (through Jan. 9)

1. Texas Tech (14-1, 3-0): Sophomore guard and Bologna, Italy, native Davide Moretti has come into his own of late offensively, scoring double-figure point totals in three straight games. His 19-point effort on 7-for-11 shooting helped the Red Raiders survive a weekend scare at home versus shorthanded K-State. (Last week: 2)

3. Iowa State (12-3, 2-1): Cyclones followed a 77-60 weekend romp of Kansas and a new spot as the nation’s 20th-ranked team with a 73-70 heartbreaker against Baylor in Waco, Texas. ISU was again out-rebounded, this time 33-26, and now stands eighth in the Big 12 in rebounding margin at plus-2.9 per contest. (LW: 3)

4. Oklahoma (12-3, 1-2): Yes, the Sooners have dropped two of three league tilts, but considering the nature of those defeats — contests held at Kansas and at Texas Tech, both top-10 squads — it’s easier to forgive Lon Kruger’s squad. Bizarrely, OU ranks first in the Big 12 in rebounds per game (43.1) and last in rebounding defense (37.2 allowed per game). (LW: 4)

6. Kansas State (11-4, 1-2): Bruce Weber’s group will take offense wherever it can find it, and in the Wildcats’ frantic comeback victory against West Virginia, that came in the form of reserve guard Mike McGuirl. The sophomore scored 18 points and drained four 3s in the victory but still averages just 3.4 points on the season. (LW: 7)

7. Texas (10-5, 2-1): Texas’ 3-point shooting struggles returned in a big way in a 61-58 defeat at Oklahoma State, with the Longhorns hitting just 2 of 22 attempts from beyond the arc. Texas’ team 3-point percentage (32.3) and 3-point percentage defense (32.4) both rank eighth in the conference. (LW: 6)

8. Baylor (9-5, 1-1): Yale transfer Makai Mason had his best game as a Bear, the senior guard scoring 25 points and hitting four 3s in Baylor’s upset victory over Iowa State. (LW: 9)

9. Oklahoma State (7-8, 1-2): Junior guard Lindy Waters willed the Cowboys to their first Big 12 victory, scoring 19 points and dishing nine assists in the win over Texas. He hit all five of his 3-point attempts and added three steals for good measure. (LW: 10)

10. West Virginia (8-8, 0-3): Is Saturday’s home date against Oklahoma State must-win? Just ask coach Bob Huggins: "We gotta get a win. I'm telling you what: We have always believed in the great people in the state of West Virginia. If you all can show up and support this group, it'd mean a whole lot. We'll get a win for you. One way or another, we'll get a win for you." (LW: 8)

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.